Climax Community in Ecology: Characteristics and Theories

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Climax Community in Ecology: Characteristics and Theories!
When the final terminal community becomes stablised for a longer period of time and it can
maintain itself in equilibrium with the climate of the area, it is known as climax community.

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The final community is not replaced and, therefore, the stage is known as climax stage.

Climax has the following- important characteristics:

(a) Unitary:
Climax is a unit. All the species are taken as an organised unit to show the climate. In other
words, climax is a unit, which acts as the index of climate of an area.

(b) Stability:
The form of the climax community is stable with the climate. The climax community cannot be
replaced through competition.

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(c) Origin and Organism Concept:

Climax community is interpreted as a super organism. This community takes birth, grows and
develops like an organism. Climax communities undergo changes with the changes of time and
climate.

There are three theories about the climax community.

(a) Mono-climax theory

(b) Poly-climax theory

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(c) Climax-pattern hypothesis

(a) Mono-climax theory:
This theory was proposed by Fedeick Climents in 1916. Accordingly to this theory, there
develops only one type of climax community in a climatic region of a geographical area. The
other communities existing besides the climax community in that area, are called as subordinate
communities.

The subordinate communities may be:

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i) Pro-climax

ii) Post-climax,

iii) Pre-climax.

Since in an area of uniform climate, different types of climax communities can develop, it will be
inappropriate to consider climate as a determining factor for climax formation. Besides, climax
state is a form of minimum changes and it is not the final changed form of the succession. So
mono-climax theory faces a lot of criticisms.

(b) Poly climax theory:

This theory was proposed by Braun- Blanquet and Tansley in 1935 considering the objection to
monoclimax theory. According to this theory, the climax communities are controlled by a
number of factors besides the climatic conditions of a geographical area. So the climax stage
may be named depending upon the nature of the factor in stablization:

(i) Topographic Climax:

The climax community stabilized by topographical factors of an area like hills, mountains, slopes
etc. is known as topographical climax.

(ii) Biotic Climax:

The climax of biotic community stabilised by living factors including man, herbivores, and
animals are known as anthropogenic climax, grazing climax and zootic climax respectively.

(iii) Edaphic Climax:

The climax community stabized due to soil factor is known as edaphic climax.

(iv) Fire-Climax:
The climax resulted by repeated fire is called fire climax.

(c) Climax-pattern hypothesis:
This hypothesis was proposed by R.I-1. Whittaker in 1953. According this hypothesis, a number
of climax communities may develop in an area under a particular set of climatic conditions. That
is, communities change their living pattern related to the different environmental conditions of
the habitat by adjusting themselves.